In automotive applications, electrical connections must carry electrical currents, voltages and/or signals in heat-stressed, dirty, moist and/or chemically aggressive environments. The electrical connections may be required to carry the currents, voltages, and/or signals for a short time, sometimes after a relatively long period, or on an ongoing basis. Given the broad range of applications for electrical connections of this kind, a large number of electrical contacts or contact devices are known which are constructed to serve specific applications.
Such a contact device, for example a crimp contact device of a plug connector, is crimped to an electrical cable. In addition to creating a permanent electrical connection, a contact device must also create a permanent mechanical connection between the cable and a crimping region of the crimp contact device. Known contact devices, however, are complexly constructed for each specific application and can only be inserted from one direction to form an electrical connection particular to that application.